﻿lis 
  LAND 
  TITLES. 
  

  

  trated 
  by 
  Bienville, 
  has 
  been 
  shown 
  in 
  the 
  preceding 
  

   historical 
  outline. 
  

  

  The 
  next 
  grants 
  in 
  order, 
  were 
  those 
  made 
  bv 
  the 
  

   Company 
  of 
  the 
  Indies, 
  about 
  the 
  year 
  ITIS, 
  at 
  Pasca- 
  

   goula 
  and 
  the 
  Bay 
  of 
  St. 
  Louis, 
  on 
  the 
  St. 
  Catharine, 
  

   near 
  Natchez, 
  and 
  on 
  the 
  Yazoo, 
  of 
  the 
  number 
  and 
  

   dimensions 
  of 
  which 
  we 
  are 
  not 
  informed. 
  

  

  In 
  consequence 
  of 
  the 
  Indian 
  disturbances, 
  and 
  of 
  the 
  

   massacre 
  by 
  the 
  Natchez, 
  these 
  French 
  grants 
  seem 
  to 
  

   haA'e 
  been 
  abandoned. 
  No 
  allusion 
  is 
  subsequently 
  

   made 
  to 
  them 
  ; 
  and 
  those 
  in 
  the 
  Natchez 
  District, 
  at 
  least, 
  

   appear 
  not 
  to 
  have 
  been 
  recognized 
  by 
  the 
  British 
  go- 
  

   vernment, 
  upon 
  obtaining 
  possession 
  of 
  the 
  country. 
  

   Whether 
  such 
  was 
  the 
  case 
  in 
  "West 
  Florida 
  proper, 
  is 
  

   not 
  now 
  certainly 
  known. 
  The 
  acquisition 
  by 
  purchase 
  

   from 
  the 
  earlv 
  French 
  settlers, 
  mav 
  have 
  been, 
  in 
  a 
  few 
  

   cases, 
  the 
  origin 
  or 
  basis 
  of 
  the 
  subsequent 
  British 
  

   patents 
  ; 
  as, 
  in 
  a 
  late 
  decision 
  by 
  the 
  courts 
  in 
  Louisiana, 
  

   in 
  favor 
  of 
  the 
  heirs 
  of 
  Pontalba, 
  the 
  title 
  to 
  the 
  lands 
  

   in 
  controversy 
  has 
  been 
  traced 
  back 
  to 
  those 
  early 
  French 
  

   srants. 
  

  

  From 
  January, 
  17GS, 
  to 
  September, 
  1779, 
  numerous 
  

   British 
  arants 
  were 
  made 
  bv 
  the 
  Governor 
  of 
  West 
  

   Florida 
  ; 
  those 
  in 
  the 
  Natchez 
  District 
  being 
  chiefly 
  made 
  

   to 
  officers* 
  of 
  the 
  British 
  army 
  and 
  navy, 
  and 
  in 
  many 
  

   instances 
  were 
  of 
  large 
  dimensions. 
  The 
  largest 
  em- 
  

   braced 
  twenty-five 
  thousand 
  acres 
  ; 
  two 
  others, 
  twenty 
  

   thousand 
  each; 
  several 
  were 
  for 
  ten 
  thousand; 
  and 
  very 
  

   fcAV 
  for 
  less 
  than 
  one 
  thousand 
  acres. 
  These 
  were 
  so 
  

   located 
  as 
  to 
  embrace 
  a 
  large 
  portion 
  of 
  the 
  most 
  valu- 
  

   able 
  lands 
  bordering 
  on 
  the 
  Mississippi, 
  for 
  a 
  breadth 
  of 
  

   six 
  or 
  eight 
  miles 
  from 
  Fort 
  Adams 
  to 
  the 
  Yazoo, 
  and 
  

   extending 
  along 
  the 
  alhmal 
  lands 
  of 
  the 
  principal 
  

   streams 
  of 
  the 
  district. 
  

  

  